The Child
by CelfwrDderwydd
Summary: To those who shed tears of pain, sorrow and fear: Keep your hope, because there's always someone who will hear.


Disclaimer: The author does not own Aliens.

**The Child**

By

Celfwrdderwydd

**Chapter One**

The sounds of alarms were everywhere as people rushed around in a panic. It looked like the end of the world. The room was filled with people, all talking at once, every voice filled with fear.

"Thirty meters and closing!" yelled a soldier as he looked at the tiny screen of his motion-tracker, sweat rolling down his face. Another soldier whirled as several people in white lab coats rushed through the large door before the soldiers closed it.

"I want that door sealed, _now!_" he shouted as several other green-clad soldiers rushed forward and brought up small hand-torches and began to seal the door.

"Twenty meters!" said the soldier with the tracker as the other hurried to seal the door.

"How could this have happened? How did they get out?" asked a scientist.

"More like they got in." replied someone else. The lead soldier stood in the middle of a line of eight soldiers, not counting the three sealing the doors. The soldier with the tracker looked down, his face pale as he read the screen.

"Ten meters." The leader grimaced as he tensed, his finger on the trigger of his rifle.

"Hurry up and get that door sealed!" he barked. The three soldiers hurriedly finished sealing off the door and brought up their rifles as they backed up and rejoined their comrades. The line of soldiers stood, rifles trained on the door as they prepared for the attack.

The group was gathered in one of the computer labs. Several large terminals stood against a wall. The room was quiet, save for a few scattered voices or a whimper. The lead soldier glanced over his shoulder at the soldier with the tracker for a brief instant.

"How close?" The frightened soldier brought up the tracker and stared at the screen, silent. The lead soldier looked back at him. "How close, dammit?!" he hissed. The other soldier shook his head, eyes glued to the tiny screen.

"This can't be right . . .-" he breathed.

"What?" asked the lead soldier.

"It says four meters. If that's right, then they're already . . ." he trailed off. The leader's head snapped up as he glared at the ceiling, and the large vent there.

"The ceiling!" he shouted as he trained his rifle on it, as did the other soldiers. That was when the attack came, but not from where they expected.

A large floor panel flew into the air as it was knocked in. A large creature, black as midnight, swiftly crawled out, shrieking as people screamed and ran for their lives. The surprised soldiers whirled and opened fire on the dark creature, just as another floor panel across the room burst open. The Alien that leaped out grabbed a screaming woman and pulled her into the hole as several more creatures poured out of the hole.

The crowd of terrified researchers ran the other way, right into the path of another floor panel that was smashed open. Two more people were dragged, screaming from the room as the sounds of gunfire echoed painfully in the closed space.

"They're everywhere!" screamed a woman as the room began to fill with the Aliens.

The soldiers had formed a circle in the center of the room, backs to one another as they fired.

Suddenly, the vent that they had forgotten burst open and a very large Alien dropped to the floor right in the middle of their ring. They didn't have time to react as it swept its tail in a huge arc, knocking them over like bowling pins. Several soldiers were killed outright from the impact of the powerful tail. Before they could rise, the Aliens were on them with claws and teeth. A few managed to fire their weapons, but it did little good at such close range.

The room was filled with screams of horror and pain. The lead soldier managed to pull himself out of the mess and train his handgun on the large Alien. Unlike the others, this one was nearly nine feet tall. An Alpha, the leader of this hunting pack. Before he could fire, the Alpha lunged, grabbing his wrist and throwing his shot as the gun fired into the ceiling.

The large Alpha-Alien held his wrist tight with one hand, its other, massive hand closed around his torso as it pulled him close, its jaws opening and its inner mouth snapping before it rushed forward, smashing the soldier's skull like an egg. The Alpha-Alien flung the body away as it looked up.

A group of several researchers was fleeing out another door. It hissed as it looked over at several others. They stood from where they had killed more soldiers. As several Aliens vanished into the floor with their screaming, squirming prey, several more entered at the hiss of their leader. The Alpha-Alien gave a hissing-snort as it scent-tasted the air. More Aliens entered until thirteen stood in the wrecked, silent room.

Bloodstains were splattered all over. While the Aliens had taken the researchers alive, they had given the soldiers no quarter. With another hiss from the Alpha-Alien, the group followed the researchers.

XXX

The Aliens explored as they went, entering rooms and looking around. They were cautious, but curious as well. They checked every room they came across. They examined the strange human items in the many rooms. The group entered a lab and looked around. One of the Aliens stood upright and picked up some of the strange human things, while another knocked several metal canisters over with a clatter. They were almost like curious children.

Through all of it, the Alpha-Alien carefully watched and listened. The humans were gone, although to where, they didn't know. They vaguely could sense humans, but they were farther away.

As the Aliens moved through the hallways, they split up into smaller groups to search more rooms quicker. The Alpha-Alien explored on her own. As the Alpha-Alien walked down the hallways, she vaguely could sense _something_. Something alive. She hissed as she followed the presence. As she approached a door, the presence grew stronger. It was on the other side of the door. The Alpha-Alien hissed as she approached.

The door hissed open automatically and the Alien entered the room. The room was small and plain. The only thing in it was a bed in one corner. On the bed was the presence she sought. She hissed and moved forward. As she did, though, she felt it was different. How, she wasn't quite sure. It smelled enough like a human, and its form was like one, but something was different.

This one was small. Very small. With a low hiss, she came closer. As she neared, the tiny form moved. Its head slowly rose and it turned its head and looked at her.

_Who are you?_ She stopped dead in her tracks and hissed with surprise.

It talked! Humans couldn't talk!

Taken aback, she looked at the tiny form before her. She knew some humans were smaller than others, but she never had seen one _this_ small. It was absolutely tiny. It was so small, her hands were almost as big as its whole body. She slowly approached, all thoughts of hostility forgotten. She stopped short of the bed and looked at the amazingly tiny creature before her. It was so small and seemed so vulnerable.

Realization hit her then.

It was a child. A human child. She had never seen one before. She drew closer. As she came closer, the child didn't seem afraid of her. Large, shiny eyes watched her, but the child remained curled into a tiny ball, making itself even smaller. She placed her hands on the bed and knelt down until her chin rested on the sheets as she studied the child. The clothing the child wore was different. It wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants, but nothing more.

The tiny child held something tightly against it. A cloth representation of an animal. The glass bead that was one of the eyes of the object hung down, and a small tear could be seen on the side. She reached her hand out, but stopped when she saw the child tense. Trying to soothe it, she gave a low gentle trill.

_Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you._ she said in a comforting tone. As she felt the child's mind open, she could feel how frightened it was. What was curious, was it wasn't frightened of her. She purred again, trying to be as soothing as possible. As she looked at the child, she saw liquid falling from its eyes. Feeling its mind, she could feel the distress. She gave a soft hiss.

_Who are you?_ the child asked again. She purred softly as she gently reached out and touched the child.

_I'm a friend._ The child seemed shocked. She saw the liquid, tears, flow more freely. She felt the child's distress lessen, but its sadness grew.

_I don't have friends._ Sensing the child's sadness, she gently pulled it across the bed and against her. The child closed its eyes and curled against her. Having the little child against her, seeking comfort and safety, triggered her maternal instincts as she purred softly, lowering the sound until it became a low thrum.

_Don't be afraid, little one. You're safe._ As she looked at the child, she recognized the form was that of a male. This one was a little male. As the little boy shivered against her, she tightened her grip gently, keeping him warm and safe. She noticed how small and frail he seemed, far more than she felt was normal. As she held him, her fingers brushed his arm. The child winced and shivered. She felt the child's pain and carefully adjusted her grip. Now she knew why he was so frightened.

Someone had hurt him.

She continued to purr as she soothed his mind with warm thoughts and feelings. As she cradled the little child, another mind watched and listened, choosing that moment to speak.

_He's hungry. _said the voice of The Mother. The Alpha-Alien looked at him as he looked up at her. She looked up as her sisters entered the room. They stopped and stared at the tiny form their elder sister held in her arms.

_Mother said he's hungry. We should find some food. _said one.

_But, what do humans eat? _asked another.

_More importantly, what do human _children_ eat? _said the third.

_The Life-Jelly will sustain him. Feed him and bring him to me . . ._ said The Mother. They looked at each other. The Alpha-Alien opened her mouth and extended her tongue, the mouth at the end opening and a thick white gel emerged, which she wiped onto a claw and offered to the child.

_Don't be afraid. This will feed you._ she soothed. The others agreed as they came closer. The little boy smelled the gel. It smelled sweet. He opened his mouth and the Alpha-Alien gently fed him, a feeling of warmth coursing through her. They were delighted as he ate. The gathered thirteen Aliens, who not more than thirty minutes prior, had killed several grown, armed men, were nothing short of warm, loving and protective of the little boy now in their midst.

The Alpha-Alien looked around the room from where she stood. It was decidedly cold, much colder than most human dwellings were. She couldn't figure out why. With a soft hiss, they left the room, the child held safely in the Alpha-Alien's arms. As they moved, the other Aliens formed a ring around the Alpha-Alien and the child in her arms.

The Alpha-Alien was convinced something was amiss, as the rest of the human dwelling was nowhere near as cold as where the child had been. She put the thought to the back of her mind as she cradled the little boy against her. Right now, her goal was to bring him safely to the Mother. She could figure out the particulars later. They were careful not to let the child see the bloodstains or the bodies as they entered the room where they had fought with the human soldiers.

Such a sight might have made the child more frightened than he already was. Holding her precious cargo to her, the Alpha-Alien carefully climbed into the hole in the floor. She carefully crawled through the passageway, taking great care to keep her tiny passenger safely against her as she negotiated the twists and turns. Several times, she had to use her tail to hold him to free her arms to climb as they left the human facility behind. It was a great relief when they finally exited the metal constraints of the humans' constructed dwelling and they could feel bare rock under their feet again.

XXX

The little boy looked around from where he was in the embrace of the Alpha-Alien. The rock was a rusty-brown and quite jagged in places. It was mostly dark, but a few small spotlights here and there provided some illumination. He had never been afraid of the dark. It looked like an old mining tunnel. He looked back and saw the metal wall of the labs behind him. He shivered slightly. The Alpha-Alien tightened her grip and gave him warm, comforting thoughts.

He cuddled closer as she and the others carried him into the dark. Here and there, he saw scattered lights up on the walls. Obviously, the researchers and soldiers had been there at least a few times. As they moved deeper and deeper into the tunnels, he saw something was beginning to cover the walls. It was hard to tell what it was. It looked alive, whatever it was. As they passed, the appearance of the substance looked like the gentle creatures that held him. Here and there, he could see a few lights set into the curious substance.

Whatever it was had been laid down over the tunnel walls and some of the lights the researchers had set there. As they moved, he saw more of the creatures. They were crawling on the walls, or hiding in holes in the substance. They all came out as they passed, seemingly curious about him. He felt long fingers gently touch him, and he felt thoughts touch his. None of them were aggressive. They were curious, inquisitive. He saw some pause in what they were doing and turn to see him.

He saw some of them had some of the researchers, and had stuck them to the walls with the substance. The further down into the tunnels they went, the more of them he saw. This was their home. They had taken him into their home. He let his mind expand and could feel all the minds. They focused on him, curious and surprised. He also could feel something else. Another mind.

It was bigger and stronger than the rest. All of the others seemed to be connected to it, like roots stemming from a great tree. He could feel the great mind at the center growing as they went deeper into their home. It seemed to get stronger the closer they got. He was almost surprised when they finally seemed to reach their destination.

The room was very large, larger than any he had ever been in. The ceiling rose until it vanished into the darkness. A few lights glowed from their places in the substance covering the walls, providing enough light for him to see. There were strange, oval things on the floor. They were almost as big as he was. They were everywhere. Finally, they stopped. He looked up and a _huge_ form loomed in the dim light. It towered over them. He had never seen anything like it. His mind couldn't put the image together at first. He had no idea what was what.

A large, amber-colored tube hung from gossamer strands attached to the ceiling and was part of the great form that towered over them. He could hear the distinctive sound of breathing. He saw movement. Part of the huge form was moving. He saw a long tail, like those of the creatures holding him, rise up from the shadows. Two arms, impossibly huge, unfolded from where they had been clutched against the creature's chest, revealing two smaller arms.

The head tilted up, and he saw the regal crest of the head splay out grandly. There was a wet sound as he saw a face emerge from within. Like the others, it had no eyes. The long, sharp teeth were almost transparent. The face stared at him, and he stared back, awed at the majestic being before him.

The Queen and the little boy stared at each other for what seemed like eternity, neither moving or making a sound. The other Aliens, nearly the whole hive, were gathered, watching. It was the boy who moved first. He turned slightly in the Alpha-Alien's grip to face the Queen, and did perhaps the most innocent, trusting and childlike action one could imagine.

He spread his arms and held them up, the tattered teddy-bear hanging from his grip as he asked to be picked up. The Alpha-Alien held him up as the great arms reached down and the mighty hands, each larger than his whole body, delicately, gently wrapped around him and lifted him up until he was level with the Queen's face. She held the child not six inches from her as they stared at each other with equal wonder. Again, the boy was the first to speak.

_You're pretty._ They all were surprised. It was so innocent and honest. The Queen reacted with a purr of sheer delight as the boy touched her face with a tiny hand.

_And you're adorable._ With that, the Queen cradled the little boy against her with her smaller arms as her children came closer to meet their new brother.


End file.
